O'Donoghue class leads Tipperary to first back-to-back Munster for first time in 21 years!

O’Neills.com Munster U20 Hurling Championship Final

Tipperary 3-19

Clare 1-20

Tipperary have completed a rare back-to-back of Munster Championship titles in the U20/U21 grade after a brilliant final quarter effort dragged them over the line when it looked like Clare were in pole position in TUS Gaelic Grounds on Wednesday.

Clare scored a 43rd minute penalty through Fred Hegarty and led by four points by the end of the third quarter with Tipperary not hurling to their potential in that time.

But a black card penalty in favour of the Premier three minutes later turned the game for Brendan Cummins' side. Conor Martin was scythed down by Jamie Moylan when in on goal, and referee Ciarán O'Regan opened his arms to signal for the penalty.

McCarthy slotted it clinically and with Clare down to 14 for ten minutes, Tipperary pushed on to find scores with the outstanding Oisin O'Donoghue leading his team to the win with classy points to earn vital frees.

Tipperary now go top of the roll of honour at this grade with 23 provincial hurling titles, and they will be hoping to add to their All-Ireland credentials in three weeks' on Saturday, May 31 against the Leinster champions.

A slow start to the game had Tipperary playing catch-up early as Clare were sharp and quicker to get to the pitch of the play, with Clare racing into an early 0-6 to 0-2 lead with senior panellist Jack O’Neill bagging two points while Fred Hegarty nailed his frees in those nine minutes.

Conor Martin had the first score nailed of the game within 15 seconds while Joe Egan fired over a class effort in the third minute, but the break seemed to be affecting Tipp, with Clare seemingly sharper after their semi-final exploits last week against Cork.

Slowly though, Tipperary started to find their way and the inside forward line began to cause all sorts of problems for Clare, with two frees for Darragh McCarthy coming from direct balls inside.

Indeed, those deliveries kept arriving in there, and the first goal for Tipp came from some clever play from Darragh McCarthy who had a tap over free in front of him, but he played a quick ball across to Oisin O’Donoghue inside the 21 and the Cashel man drilled a low shot home past Mark Sheedy.

Excellent points followed with McCarthy and O’Donoghue, the providers as Cathal English (2), Paddy McCormack, and Conor Martin all found the target up to the 18th minute to give Tipp a 1-8 to 0-6 lead.

The response from Clare to that glut of Tipp scores was impressive, though, and they nailed five of the next six scores with Fred Hegarty slotting three frees to cut the gap to to two points; but Tipp left two goals behind them in the period with Paddy McCormack rattling the crossbar in the 21st minute and with the rebound falling into the path of O’Donoghue, he snatched at the bouncing ball and lashed it over the bar with an open goal in front of him.

Darragh McCarthy and Fred Hegarty traded the final four points between them to finish the half as Tipp managed to hold a slender one-point advantage at the interval, but on the balance of play, they should have been ahead by more in reality.

Sam O’Farrell was kept in reserve for the start of the second half, but Clare - yet again - started the half like a train and had three points onboard within two minutes, thanks to the continued sharpshooting of Fred Hegarty, slotting some fine scores in the flurry.

The Tipperary lead evaporated with those scores as they Premier fell 0-17 to 1-12 in arrears, but Oisin O’Donoghue was having none of it, and he found two incredible points with excellent close control while being dragged by his marker to fire over inside the 21 on two occasions

That levelled the tie with 39 minutes elapsed, but Tipperary were their own worst enemies, playing the ball short far too often and considering that the inside line were looking so dangerous, it was ‘tear your hair out’ stuff from the players.

The contest was starting to slip away from Tipp thereafter and when a soft looking penalty was conceded in the 43rd minute - Fred Hegarty dispatching it was aplomb - it was officially panic stations with Clare leading by four at 1-18 to 1-14 with the final quarter to come.

You would have to say that it was as much as Tipp deserved given what was unfolding on the pitch but they received a big slice of luck in the next three minutes when they got an equally soft penalty as Jamie Moylan was adjudged to have cynically slapped out at Conor Martin as he was bearing down on goal.

A penalty for Tipp, and not only that, referee Ciarán O’Regan seen the incident as black card offense, sending the Clare defender into the sin bin for ten minutes and when Darragh McCarthy expertly slotted home his penalty, Tipp had a man advantage, twelve minutes remaining and trailed by a single point. 

That moment turned out to be the key incident of the game and from here, Tipp reeled off a further 1-3 without reply; Cathal English scoring what is best described as a ‘close range’ goal, pouncing on a dropped ball from an Oisin O’Donoghue sideline into the square and kicking it over from inches for a third Tipp goal.

Clare began to wilt from here and with Sam O’Farrell in situ at the centre of the Tipp defence, the team looked a lot steadier as further points from Paddy McCormack, Jamie Ormond, and Darragh McCarthy (2 frees) held the margin of victory at five points at the final whistle.

A famous win for Tipperary yet again in Limerick which is becoming a happy hunting ground for Tipperary underage success in the last few years.

It was far from the rounded performance that Tipperary delivered in their round robin win against Clare in Sixmilebridge back in early April, but the class around the field told in the end with Oisin O’Donoghue, Joe Egan, Cathal O’Reilly, and Cathal English the standouts for Tipperary and they will now await the winners of Dublin and Kilkenny in next weeks Leinster final.

Scorers: Tipperary: Darragh McCarthy (1-8, 0-8f, 1-0 pen), Oisin O’Donoghue 1-3, Cathal English 1-2, Conor Martin, Paddy McCormac 0-2 each, Joe Egan, Jamie Ormond 0-1 each.

Clare: Fred Hegarty (1-12, 0-9f, 1-0 pen), Jack O’Neill, James Organ 0-2 each, Michael Collins, Daniel Costelloe, Sean Boyce, Ronan Kilroy all 0-1 each.

Tipperary: Eoin Horgan (Knockavilla Kickhams); Podge O’Dwyer (Killenaule), Aaron O’Halloran (Carrick Swans), Cathal O’Reilly (Holycross Ballycahill); Adam Ryan (Arravale Rovers), Jim Ryan (Holycross Ballycahill), David Ryan (Arravale Rovers); Joe Egan (Moycarkey Borris), Adam Daly (Knockavilla Kickhams); Cathal English (Father Sheehys), Conor Martin (Cappawhite), David Costigan (Moycarkey Borris); Darragh McCarthy (Toomevara), Paddy McCormack (Borris-Ileigh), Oisin O’Donoghue (Cashel King Cormacs).

Subs used: Sam O’Farrell (Nenagh Éire Óg) for D Ryan (44); Jamie Ormond (JK Brackens) for Costigan (48); Cormac Fitzpatrick (Drom & Inch) for Daly (53); Mason Cawley (Nenagh Éire Óg) for Martin (61).

Clare: Mark Sheedy (Sixmilebridge); Eoghan Gunning (Broadford), John Cahill (Clooney Quin), Fiachra Ó Bhroin (Sixmilebridge); Jamie Moylan (Cratloe), James Hegarty (Inagh Kilnamona), Eoin McMahon (St Joseph’s Doora Barefield); Daniel Costelloe (Ballyea), Ronan Kilory (Banner); James Organ (Corofin), Jack O’Neill (Clooney Quin), Fred Hegarty (Inagh Kilnamona); Seán Boyce (O’Callaghan’s Mills), Diarmuid Stritch (Clonlara), Michael Collins (Clonlara).

Subs used: Harry Doherty (Clarecastle) for Boyce (39); Robert Loftus (Éire Óg) for Organ (49); Liam Crotty (Scariff) for Collins (52); Tadhg Lohan (Cratloe) for Kilroy (60).

Referee: Ciarán O’Regan (Cork)